12.17.2010

I just made the mistake of wandering onto the GREEN tab of the Huffington Post after dinner. I promised myself not to get tangled in environmental issues past six in the evening; they do not induce pleasant dreams. What I found is definitely the stuff of nightmares. A religious right organization--funded by whom, I wonder?--has posted a video called Resisting the Green Dragon, saying that the environmental movement is "destructive" and "deadly" and "seducing our children." And etc. Not quite believing that the headlines could be true, I watched the video. It is scurrilous, full of falsehood, distortion and perversion of truth. It is also profoundly arrogant.

Over a thousand people had commented when I last looked. My first response was: why does anyone give such garbage air time? Then I thought, well, too late. It is up there. Better to know how the issue is being discussed. And of course, among the comments are many voices raised in dismay that this is the way Christians think.

I don't know that people who show so little concern for our world, to say nothing of the truth, deserve to be called Christian. And I'm horrified to think anyone might assume this is a "Christian position" on environmentalism. One of the most impressive people I've ever met is the Reverend Sally Bingham, about whom I wrote for the Environmental Defense Fund. She created something called Interfaith Power and Light, an alliance calling for religious organizations to step up to their moral obligation to be stewards of the earth--as the Bible asks.

Heal the planet, she and her associates are saying, because it is God's gift to humankind. That is a message that is truly worthy of the term Christian. It is pollution--whether of our planet, or of our hearts--that is destructive, and, indeed, deadly.

12 comments:

Dominique, keep ranting about the environment... We need more 'prophets crying in the wilderness' (sorry, Handel's Messiah was playing). Do not get discouraged that you garner more reader comments about fuzzier stories like coffee art, hair, etc. Keep ranting.I had a hand in introducing Perrier Water into the US in 1978and starting the bottled water craze. Now some 30 years and billions of bottles later my girls and I bring back all our bottles and cans from places where they DON'T RECYCLE (!?)like Montana (yes Bozeman!) and Idaho (yes Sun Valley) to recycle them in Seattle. Call it penance. Small steps, small acts build up. Keep ranting. Happy holidays.

A lot of horrible, destructive, and awful behavior is justified under the cloak of "religion." I am sick of them all: Christian extremist weirdos to jihadist anarchists, and everything and everyone in between. The use of "religion" to justify vile and hateful behavior is deeply offensive to those of us who believe in what is right and true, and that extends to the careful and honorable stewardship of our lovely, beautiful, and deeply sacred planet.

Yup, there we go again, the green dragon, just one more in the long line of threats to the Christian faith - thank you for pointing this out Dominique. I believe God issues challenges like the green dragon to make us stronger and to bring us together as Christians. I'm not surprised at all to learn that the green dragon is making its way into the minds and hearts of the young through infiltration of our schools. We must all work together, as Christians, to eliminate science from the curriculum in our schools - the future of our country depends on it.

Thank you Reggie Darling, and thank you all for your comments, and thanks for your support on this issue. Warren, you were on hand at the revolution; I remember what a treat it was to be able to find a bottle of Perrier in this country, after having guzzled it during student years in Paris. What hath we wrought? Amazing how quickly the world has changed--I can imagine you must look back with mixed feelings; have you written about this? Also amazing that the largest places (though pristinely beautiful) don't bother with recycling--could it be that they think there is tons of room to dump trash?

And re science: it is stunning to me how far scientists have fallen in our estimation--mystifying, too. William, I note with lifted eyebrow that at the same time, according to the New York Times, the "nerd" is back in fashion. Huh? Everything reduced to empty shirts...Or perhaps, function will follow form, and more young people will become scientists as they see how cool it can be. Not. As they say. Or, more eloquently, Whatever.

It's baffling to me that roughly 50% of this country, according to some polls, distrust science in one way or another. What has happened to this once great country of independent and, most important, rational thinkers? I’m just glad that when I am feeling most disillusioned by mankind that I have my misanthropy and cynicism as my shining beacons to get me through. :)

Keep ranting. Years ago, I offered to help with a fundraiser at my children's school. It was proposed by the organizer that to raise the funds the kids needed to go on a whale watch, the parents would each have to sell 10 pointsetta plants. To sweeten the pot, she said we were all going over to the local mall to peddle the plants. A few of us said we were not interested in selling pointsetta's at the mall. Incredulously, she said how "un-Christian" it was for us to not want to help our kids. What a joke. What are these people thinking? I would like to believe they are just ignorant, but this line of incipid stupidity is so deeply engrained in "Christian positioning", that I can't excuse it as ignorance. Keep, keep ranting. I do.

as i was commenting to my dinner companions the other night about religious right wingers, as we were all scratching our heads as to HOW they can actually believe what they believe! -- "they're morons," i stated to smiles all around. "no really, they're morons. everyone uses the word, but THEY are actually morons." and that's all i can say about them. look at the evidence. look at what they believe in. i have no other explanation but that they are mentally challenged - that there actually is existent (believe it or not) masses of morons. otherwise, how could there be a president bush for 2 terms (aside from the fact that he stole at least one election).

as to people not believing scientists, well, in addition to signing off on continuing tax cuts for the wealthy!!!!!!, obama signed into law just yesterday a document protecting scientists' findings and not allowing political influence of those findings in any way. this new law protects scientists from the political bullying so common during the Bush era.

As a Christian person, I am once again profoundly embarrassed by the words and actions of those who masquerade under that name. At this point in history, the term "christian" has been almost completely hijacked by those whose views are 180 degrees from the true meaning of that word. It is shameful.

I suggest you read the writings of Jim Wallis on the subject. He is, I have found, a Christian thinker who is not an idiot.

Please continue to give voice to your love for our world. God first created the earth, then man. Without a healthy growing and giving earth we would not exist. The spirit of Christ (Christians) is not in hateful words, labels and falsehoods; it is found in truth, love, peace, joy, growth, abundance--all of the elements found in a healthy earth. Please keep shouting.

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